


Dead Week

by sunnybearhyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, based on that video you know the one, i'll link it in the description, sweetheart! mark, youtuber! donghyuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:53:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23570380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnybearhyuck/pseuds/sunnybearhyuck
Summary: It's the most important week of Donghyuck's YouTube career, and he has no video ideas. But when he tries to prank his boyfriend, will he take it too far?
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 37
Kudos: 362





	Dead Week

**Author's Note:**

> It's short and fluffy, hope you like it!

Donghyuck has a short list of things he wants to accomplish. 

  1. Graduate university.
  2. Get a not-terrible job
  3. Hit a million subscribers on YouTube



And, most importantly, 

4\. Marry Mark Lee.

Goals one and two are pretty much in the bag, he’s always been good at school and he has confidence his degree in music will take him places. Goal four was a lot more unrealistic when Donghyuck was in middle school and pining after his older friend, but now that they’re actually dating, Donghyuck has a pretty good feeling about it. But, it’s goal three that’s really been bothering Donghyuck lately. 

Donghyuck has spent the last three years carefully curating his channel to be the perfect mix of music, makeup, and commentary. Nicknamed “fullsun” by his fans, Donghyuck has amassed a very loyal following. A loyal following that is, unfortunately, only around six hundred thousand people. Nothing to sniff at, for sure, but not exactly where Donghyuck wants to be right now. Mark would tell him to slow down, appreciate what he’s got, but it’s not that Donghyuck doesn’t appreciate every single person who’s supported him along his journey as a youtuber, it’s that if he stops pushing to do better, he will feel like he’s already failed. 

Anyways, with finals around the corner, Donghyuck has been a bit overwhelmed and decided not to do a full video this week. That being said, he doesn’t like to deprive his followers of his beautiful face for very long, lest they forget what he looks like, so Donghyuck still wants to pull together a mini-video. He’s done this every dead week, and every time he likes to surprise his followers with something new. His first cover was a dead week video, to test the waters and see if people would like it (they LOVED it and singing became a staple of his channel), so since then Donghyuck has used this week to do something a little off-kilter, something his followers wouldn’t expect. Seeing as #fullsunfinals has been trending for the past week, it’s safe to say his followers are really looking forward to it.

The problem is, Donghyuck has no idea what to do. He’s already tried baking (loved), gaming (not loved, he’ll have to save Overwatch for his freetime), and the coming out video was five dead weeks ago (that was a product of three sleepless nights and boatloads of stress. Not the best way to show the viewers the deepest part of himself, but it worked out in the end). Donghyuck is frustrated, tired, and for the first time regretting the hype he’s created around finals. 

Instead of trying to brainstorm ideas, Donghyuck is currently laying on his bed, playing Nintendogs and pretending the world doesn’t exist. To give him some credit, Donghyuck _did_ video going to a cat cafe with his friends yesterday, and they had a blast at the arcade afterwards that was all caught on camera, but Donghyuck knows a simple vlog with people his followers barely know is not going to satisfy them. No, his subscribers need something big, something juicy, something…

_Vrrt vrrt_.

Donghyuck rolls over, grabbing his phone off his bedside table. 

**Markeu**

_Hey babe, classes end at 3:30, you can come over around then and have a study/dinner date?_

Donghyuck smiles at his phone. Mark always knows how to brighten up his day, even without knowing it. He sends back a confirmation with a heart (okay, two hearts. He’s a little whipped) and Mark’s quick to respond. 

**Markeu**

_Awesome!! Can’t wait to see you. Don’t forget the camera!_

Ah yes, the camera. The camera Donghyuck borrowed for the vlog because his smaller camera broke recently. Mark’s camera. Mark’s camera which Jeno almost broke trying to beat Chenle in a basketball shootout that Jeno knows full well he’ll never win because Chenle is some sort of freak arcade basketball prodigy. Mark’s camera….

_Oh my god_. 

Donghyuck sits straight up in bed. He has an idea. 

Now, ever since Donghyuck’s coming out video, he’s only grown in popularity. It was a big step, but it really paid off in the long run. Both for his viewer count and his own mental health. But if there’s one thing people in the comments on every social media platform have asked, it’s: do you have a boyfriend? And while Donghyuck has wished, prayed, cried, and even did a little bit of witchcraft to be able to give them an affirmative answer, for years it was always a no. Until last winter. The winter break of Donghyuck’s second year of university will probably be the best winter of his whole life because Mark Lee, the nation’s (or at least Donghyuck’s town’s) heartthrob, asked Donghyuck to go steady. Yes, he said “go steady.” It was cute. Shut up. And after a blissful five months of dating, Donghyuck and Mark finally decided to tell the world that they were an item. And since Donghyuck is all about that view count, their announcement was in a, you guessed it, dead week video. The subscriber count skyrocketed, and suddenly Donghyuck found an unfortunate side effect of having a boyfriend. Viewers ask for him in every. Single. Video. The people don’t want a makeup video, they want a “boyfriend does my makeup!” video. They don’t want a song cover, they want a duet. Basically every time Donghyuck put content out into the world, viewers found a way to tell him how Mark should have been there. And, look, Donghyuck can understand why people would want Mark in the video. Donghyuck knows just how magnetic Mark is, he’s the one who fell in love with the guy. But it reached a point where Donghyuck couldn’t take it anymore. Fortunately, a simple video on Instagram was enough to tell his fans to quiet down. Now, while gently reminding followers that it’s HIS channel and HE gets to decide who to feature on it, Donghyuck makes sure to incorporate Mark into a video at least every other, if not every, month. He’s nothing if not a man of the people. 

As Donghyuck gathers his things he knows there’s no better way to ensure that subscribers enjoy dead week than to make a video with his oh-so-charming, oh-so-adorable, oh-so-viewer-friendly boyfriend, Mark Lee. 

A short five-minute walk to Mark’s building and a jog up the stairs because the DAMN elevator is still broken, and Donghyuck is standing at Mark’s door. Mark still has another twenty minutes of class left and his roommate practically lives at the library during dead week, so Donghyuck lets himself into the apartment. The space is clean and well-kept for a couple of boys, if a bit small, but what can you expect from a college student's budget? Donghyuck heads straight to Mark’s room and plops down on his bed, opening up the camera and turning it on.

“Hello sunflowers! Missed me? I hope you’re not studying too hard, I know I can’t wait for this week and next to be over. So, I borrowed a camera from Mark to film yesterday’s vlog, and I’m here at his house right now to return it. He’s not home yet though, so I thought I might play a little prank on him. Jeno almost broke the camera yesterday with one of those basketballs, and I was wondering, what if it actually did break? How would Mark react if I broke his favorite camera? Well, we’re all about to find out.”

Donghyuck gives the camera what he hopes is a devious grin and sets it up in the corner of the room, on a shelf. Thank goodness for Mark’s tendency to leave his shirts everywhere, it makes a good disguise for the camera. Donghyuck lays back down on the bed and fiddles with his phone for a few minutes until he hears the door to the apartment open.

“Donghyuck?”

Donghyuck grins at the camera again.

“Back here!”

There’s shuffling and Donghyuck schools his face into a sober expression, obviously hiding it behind his phone. Mark appears in the doorway, already smiling, and Donghyuck catches his lips stretching to respond. Instead, Donghyuck sighs as Mark moves about the room, sorting his school things. Unfortunately, Mark’s smile doesn’t fade and he just laughs at Donghyuck’s pout.

“What’s that sigh for?”

Donghyuck says nothing, standing to fiddle with his hair in the mirror. He sighs again as he returns to the bed, sitting and wrapping his arms around his legs.

“C’mon Hyuck,” Mark turns, meeting eyes with his boyfriend. The smile is still there, but there’s a slight crease in his brow. He’s starting to get worried. Good.

“What, did someone beat you at a game yesterday? Did Renjun get tired and finally smack some sense into you? I’ll beat him up if you want me to.”

“No,” Donghyuck pouts, genuinely offended Mark thought someone could beat him at an arcade game. Ok, besides Chenle and basketball. But unlike Jeno, Donghyuck knows better than to challenge Chenle at that game. A small bundle of warmth grows at the thought of Mark confronting Renjun, even though Mark, and honestly everyone else in their group, is a little bit afraid of him. Pushing that back, Donghyuck thinks of everything sad that has ever happened or could happen. His dog dying when he was eight, his grandma having a stroke when he was fifteen, that time he thought Mark was straight. Success. Tears well up and Donghyuk sniffles, quietly like he’s trying to not let Mark hear, but not so quiet that Mark doesn’t actually hear. 

“Hyuck? Donghyuck.” Now Mark’s actually worried. Donghyuck pushes his face into his arms and hears Mark walk closer, coming to the edge of the bed.

“Please baby, what’s wrong.”

“It’s serious,” Donghyuck whimpers, and Mark tugs on his arms, pulling Donghyuck to the edge of the bed.

“You can tell me, you know that,” Mark murmurs, tilting Donghyuck’s chin to look him in the eyes. Smiling, he squishes Donghyuck’s cheeks up and Donghyuck almost breaks character again, a laugh threatening to work its way out. Mark gasps.

“Are you crying?” He hurriedly wipes the tears running down Donghyuck’s face. “Oh my God, why are you crying, what happened?”

“I broke your camera,” Donghyuck finally admits. He tugs his face from Mark’s grip, standing and walking a few steps away. He’s embodied the spirit of a remorseful boyfriend, he really can’t face Mark now. 

“My camera?” For a moment, Donghyuck truly fears goal four will never be achieved. But, Mark grabs Donghyuck’s wrist, pulling him back.

“Yes, the one you lent me.” Donghyuck allows Mark to sit him on the bed, and Mark situates himself between Donghyuck’s legs. Mark’s fingers fiddle with strands of hair on Donghyucks’s head as he continues. 

“Yesterday, when we were playing basketball, I was trying to beat Chenle’s highscore, and Jaemin was holding the camera, and…” Donghyuck pauses for dramatic effect and Mark tilts his chin up again, forcing Donghyuck to look him in the eye. 

“And a ball bounced too hard and I broke the camera,” Donghyck wails, burrowing into Mark's shirt. 

“Baby, baby no,” Mark resumes running his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair. “It’s alright, I promise. It’s just a camera, I can get another.”

“But it was your favorite,” Donghyuck sobs, and Mark starts petting his head faster.

“Please don’t cry Hyuck. I might start crying with you.”

Donghyuck pulls back, meeting Mark’s eyes forcefully.

“I promise, I’ll get you a new camera. Well, at least when I get a job.”

Mark immediately waves his hands, “no, there’s no need. I didn’t even want it anymore, it was old and glitchy.”

Mark, unlike Donghyuck, is a very bad liar. Mark uses that camera whenever he gets a chance, and absolutely raved about the quality when he first bought it. 

“Anyways,” Mark continues, “it’s just a camera. I care about you much more.” Donghyuck lets out a watery snort and Mark smiles. “You’re so beautiful, even when you’re crying.” He slaps Mark’s stomach half-heartedly, feeling his face start to flush. 

“How much did it cost?”

“Oh, barely anything. I think i bought it at Walmart for like ten dollars.”

“Mark, really.

“Ok, ok. It was twenty dollars.”

“Mark!”

“It was kind of expensive Donghyuck, I don’t want to tell you.”

Donghyuck blinks up at Mark, waiting. 

“Thirty dollars.”

Mark laughs cups Donghyuck’s cheeks, kissing his forehead while Donghyuck huffs. 

“Really, you won’t tell me?”

“Nope.”

“Well, can I ask you for something.”

“What, another camera?” Mark giggles and Donghyuck pokes him again. 

“No, could you turn around and wiggle your arms up?”

Mark good-naturedly turns around and throws his arms up in the air. Donghyuck stands and gently guides him to the left until they’re staring directly into the camera. He leans forward, grabbing the shirt.

“Surprise! I got you a gift!”

Mark gasps and claps, stepping forward to examine the camera.

“It’s not broken!” Mark turns to Donghyuck, eyes wide as if he did the best magic trick Mark had ever seen. Donghyuck smiles, cuddling close and hooking his chin over Mark’s shoulder. 

“Isn’t this a nice surprise?”

“Yes, very much,” Mark smiles and presses a kiss to Donghyuck’s cheek. “I should’ve known it was a prank when you told me you challenged Chenle. No one challenges him.” 

“Jeno did.”

“Ok, no one smart challenges him.” 

Donghyuck nods at the camera, sincerely hoping Jeno sees the video when he uploads it. 

“In the end though,” Mark pauses, thinks, “it’s really not about the camera.”

“Well, I guess next time I’ll break it for real then.”

“No!” Mark gasps, looking into the lens as Donghyuck giggles. “I mean, like, I’m just glad you’re ok.” Mark leans back, pulling Donghyuck’s arms tighter around him. “I really thought you were hurt or something.” 

Donghyuck sighs happily, burying his nose into Mark’s shoulder.

“What did you think of my prank?”

Mark wiggles out of Donghyuck’s arms and shoves him lightly. 

“What did you think of my prank?” He mocks in a high-pitched tone that is _clearly_ not at all similar to Donghyuck’s actual voice. The two start to wrestle, pushing and shoving as they repeat the same phrase, trying to out-annoy the other. Donghyuck feels a bump as his knees hit the edge of the bed and the rest...well the rest he’ll just have to edit out. 

**Author's Note:**

> Based on [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlk5JsB2O1U&feature=youtu.be)  
> video. thanks @FAIRIETAElL on twitter for posting the video and giving me inspiration!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/sunnylionlee)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/things_nct)  
> Please send me a curiouscat i'm so bored in quarantine. or dm me. any human interaction would be nice.


End file.
